City NGO to burn effigies of 11 women accused

Indore: The Indore-based organisation 'Paurush,' which advocates for men's rights, has announced a thematic protest for this year's Holika Dahan to highlight heinous crimes against children and issues surrounding child custody laws. The group will burn effigies representing ‘Putra-Hanta Holika' (filicidal Holika) on Monday.The protest draws on the mythological theme of King Hiranyakashipu attempting to kill his son, Prahlad, through his sister, Holika. However, for this event, the effigies will feature the faces of 11 women, who have been accused murdering their own children.
Among these 11 women, two have already been sentenced to death by lower courts, while the cases for the remaining nine are currently sub-judice. The organisation has prepared an effigy depicting a woman holding a child's head. Another display includes a blue drum featuring slogans such as ‘no accounts, no books, whatever the daughter-in-law says is right'.The organisation president advocate Ashok Dashora and member Milind Agrawal stated that the event aims to expose "dirty thinking" in society and prevent the destruction of families. The group is specifically calling for families affected by the misuse of women-centric laws to participate.The organisation highlighted several grievances regarding current laws: Members termed the current legal provision allowing fathers only three hours a month to meet their children as "unjust". The group noted cases where fathers have been unable to see their children for five to seven years. Active in Indore for 15 years, Paurush provides counseling and free legal aid for families dealing with cases related to dowry, domestic violence, maintenance, divorce, and child custody.